Friday News Roundup for Feb 16, 2024Missouri Supreme Court again says state can’t deny Medicaid funds to Planned ParenthoodBY: ANNA SPOERRE - FEBRUARY 14, 2024 3:46 PMhttps://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-supreme-court-again-says-state-cant-deny-medicaid-funds-to-planned-parenthood/for the second time in four years, Missouri’s highest court rebuked lawmakers’s efforts to ban abortion providers and their affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements.The legislature included a line in the 2022 state budget to spend $0 for any Medicaid-covered services if the provider also offers abortions or is affiliated with an abortion provider. Abortion is illegal in Missouri. The two Planned Parenthood affiliates operating in the state – Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri – no longer provide abortions in Missouri, though their counterparts in Kansas and Illinois do.In a decision Wednesday, the Missouri Supreme Court once again ruled the legislature’s attempt to defund Planned Parenthood through the budget was unconstitutional. The state’s Medicaid program, which serves low-income and disabled Missourians, has long banned funding for abortion, with limited exceptions. Medicaid has reimbursed Planned Parenthood in the past for reproductive health services that do not include abortion, including STI and cancer screenings, as well as contraceptives. Planned Parenthood has said it hasn’t received any state funds for nearly two years as this legal fight played out in court, though the organization’s clinics continued to treat all patients, regardless of insurance.Advocates for Planned Parenthood have said cutting off Medicaid funding only hurts those most in need of care. in a joint statement, Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, and Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, called the ongoing efforts to defund Planned Parenthood “cruel and irresponsible.”“Today, the Missouri Supreme Court again reaffirmed our patients’ right to access critical care like cancer screenings, birth control, annual exams, STI testing and treatment, and more at Planned Parenthood health centers. Over and over again, the courts have rejected politicians’ ongoing attempts to deprive patients of their health care by unconstitutionally kicking Planned Parenthood out of the Medicaid program. But the fight for patient access is far from over.”Kansas bill would require abortion seekers be asked for reasons before terminating pregnancyBY: ALLISON KITE - FEBRUARY 15, 2024 9:45 AMhttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/02/15/kansas-bill-would-require-abortion-seekers-be-asked-for-reasons-before-terminating-pregnancy/Kansas abortion providers would have to ask patients why they are terminating pregnancies under legislation critics argue represents an effort to “harass, intimidate and shame” pregnant women.A Kansas House committee heard Wednesday from anti-abortion groups — who argued collecting data on abortion patients would allow policymakers establish programs for those who are pregnant — and abortion-rights groups that questioned the motives behind the bill.The legislation, requested by a group called Kansans for Life, would require providers have patients rank their top reasons for seeking an abortion, such as financial difficulty, a threat to their health posed by pregnancy, or the pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.Providers would also have to collect demographic information, including age, race, marital status, state or country of residence, highest level of education, educational attainment, and whether the patient has reported domestic violence, has a safe place to live or received financial assistance from an organization that supports individuals during pregnancy. If a patient declined to answer why they sought the abortion, the provider would be required to record that.The bill would apply even